Review: Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Review
Let me start off by laying out the most important part of any review. The specs.
We have an 8.4”, 2560 x 1600 Super AMOLED screen staring in your face. Behind the scenes, there is an
Exynos 5 Octo 5420 CPU, 3GB of RAM, and 16GB of Storage with an optional Micro SD slot as well. As
most tablets, it comes with Bluetooth 4.4, a solid battery of 4900mAh as well which will last you quite a
long time.
It surprisingly boasts a really nice camera setup as well. With an 8MP camera on the back, and a 2.1MP
on the front you actually can use this to take quite the array of memories. I liked the crisp clear screen
being a +1 to its camera as it gave you a really nice view to what you were taking a picture of. I found
the front to be a bit grainy, but be real here, you’re using a camera with a bit less mega pixels then the
camera you used to chat with your MSN crush. It’s meant to take those selfie quick shots, and keep your
kids entertained as to how they magically appear in this little 8-inch box they are holding.
Now, Samsung tends to forget quickly about its predecessors and move onto bigger and mostly better
things. This tablet packs all the essentials you would expect in today’s market, but what stood out for
me was the AMOLED screen that I got to stare at for the past week. It would be an understatement to
say that it is amazing. It’s actually really quite remarkable. It displays gorgeous contrasts and colors. The
key feature I really admired was the viewing angle of the screen. At a sharp angle you don’t lose sight
of what’s showing for you. Which is great for children, who like to hold it at angles I didn’t know existed
while slouching as they watch their favorite cartoon show.
The tablet itself, weighing in a whopping 294g, does feel rather solid. Which is surprising. I didn’t
however like the lack of grippy-ness to the tablet itself. I own other tablets, but I felt this one slipping
more than the others in the hands, or just simply on my lap. I would definitely suggest a case or a
wraparound that will give this tablet more of a grip when on the go. Also, will protect it from those
times you are in a rush and just throw this in your bag, or your purse.
For features, the Galaxy S tablet comes loaded. Like mentioned, it has Bluetooth and the latest iteration
of Android. But it also carries a fingerprint scanner. Which I actually didn’t know until a co-worker had
mentioned this to me. It took several scans to ‘lock’ my print in, and I kept it for a day or two to try it
out. I actually didn’t prefer this feature, but I can see how it can be a cool way to keep others out. I
didn’t like how sensitive this is, but again, that’s a good feature for most people.
Other notable features include the IR feature to control your Samsung TV with their custom app.
This is actually a really cool feature, as my 76 year old Grandmother uses it, and that’s got to tell you
something about the ease of use. Now, if I could only get her to setup her own Wi-Fi printer, then she
would be the Queen of Tech.
Samsung does go all out and use a very nice brushed gold finish around the edge, giving the illusion I
spent this month’s mortgage on it. Which I didn’t because this beast costs about the same, if not less
than its competitors at $399 MSRP. Which isn’t too bad in today’s market to do what it can do for you
and your family on the go.
In closing, Samsung does make this phone tablet work very well for you. Wait, did I say phone? Oh,
that’s because they did a really good job of mimicking their Galaxy phone line. Which actually is a nice
feature. Apple does this of course each and every year, and I for one, like it. I think it gives you a simple
way of moving through your day and being familiar with your tech. It also is very cool to match, duh.
This tablet also features a sort of ‘picture-in-picture’ feature, it allows you to control every part of your
phones functions on your tablet. Which is nice sometimes when you just want to have a slightly larger
screen then you already get with the Samsung Galaxy phone line. It performs really well, and quite
frankly, the simple tasks a tablet needs to do… well it should do really well with no hiccups of course.
With the extra power this tablet carries, it will easily complete your tasks needs and keep the kid’s
happy while on the go. It will also keep your wife happy on the couch. Or yourself, when in a need to
do your phone work, on a nicer tablet when you’re enjoying the array of how your wife has stacked the
toilet paper in the bathroom.
All in all, this is a great tablet to buy. It would make a very solid buy and a great step up from anything
else on the market in the same spec category.